1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to the field of real-time testing and in particular to a distributed portable test unit (PTU) interface for a train-wide communications system.
2. Background Information
In the past during monitoring and testing of a train, signals from various subsystems on various vehicles of the train had to be connected to a portable test unit (PTU) directly, that is, each subsystem on a vehicle had its own PTU for obtaining diagnostic information from that subsystem on that vehicle. This made monitoring and testing very time-consuming and difficult to do.
A need existed for a way to allow a person to obtain performance data on a real-time basis during actual operation of the train from any subsystem on the train for any vehicle in the train from a single location over a train wide communications system.
With the advent of sophisticated train-wide data communications capabilities a solution to the above problems became feasible.